31 MARCH 2015

Australia's best known boxing writer today, Paul Upham is the Content Editor of SecondsOut.com and has written for this website continuously since 2000. The Editor of the Australian Boxing Almanac, he has also written pieces for The Australian newspaper, Fox Sports, Main Event Television, KO and The Ring. 36 year-old Upham has appeared live on air as a boxing analyst for Main Event Pay-Per-View, Sky Channel, Fox Sports, Sky News Australia, SBS television, Radio 2UE Sydney, Radio SEN Melbourne and writes monthly for The Fist magazine. He is a member of The Ring magazine's world ratings panel. Paul Upham called the Ricky Hatton-Kostya Tszyu fight live from Manchester, England for a world wide viewing audience in the multi millions in more than 60 countries. In 2006 and 2007 he Emceed the Australian Boxing Hall of Fame Annual Induction Dinner in Melbourne and for the last few years has hosted the successful Kostya Tszyu live stage show. His new book on Kostya Tszyu - "Something Worth Fighting For" - was published in October 2007 by ABC Books.

By Paul Upham: WBA super middleweight world champion Anthony “The Man” Mundine was taken the twelve round distance in defending his title against Nader Hamdan on Wednesday night at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Australia. No matter how many right hands Mundine landed, Hamdan kept firing back at him through sheer guts and determination in his first world title fight.

By Paul Upham: WBA super middleweight world champion Anthony Mundine defends his title against challenger Nader Hamdan at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on Wednesday night. Both men were born in Sydney and the two have known each other since before they started boxing. While there has been mutual respect in the lead-up to this fight and no outright trash talking, both are confident of victory.

By Paul Upham: Danish promoter Mogens Palle isn’t holding back any punches. He thinks that the WBA having Anthony Mundine as their super middleweight world champion is unacceptable. “The opponents Mundine has been fighting recently. It looks a like a joke,” he said.

By Paul Upham: Just when it seemed the picture of who really was the best boxer in the welterweight division was getting clearer, Carlos Quintana threw a big stone into the pond and unsettled the water again by upsetting Paul Williams to win the WBO world title on Saturday night.

By Paul Upham: Former junior welterweight world champion Kostya Tszyu surprised many unsuspecting people in busy Sydney city with free hugs on Friday morning. The boxing great with the knockout right hand is the Ambassador for Australian National Cuddle Day, which is a fundraiser for The Smith Family charity organisation.

By Paul Upham: Last Thursday morning Gairy St Clair was walking along Town Hall train station in Sydney with hundreds of people moving around him, totally oblivious that a former boxing world champion was in their midst. This Saturday night, UK boxing fans will all be watching the Guyanan born boxer very closely when he faces undefeated rising star and Olympic silver medallist Amir Khan at the ExCel Arena in London.

By Paul Upham: It has taken him ten years and a few trips around the world, but Nader Hamdan will finally get the world title fight he has dreamed of when he faces WBA super middleweight world champion Anthony Mundine on February 27 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Always prepared to take fights in other boxer’s backyards, the 33 year-old is pleasantly surprised that the biggest fight of his career is happening in his hometown.

By Paul Upham: It was the 32nd birthday of Armenian born Vic Darchinyan on Monday. You would not have known otherwise watching him train at his gymnasium in Marrickville, Sydney. The former IBF/IBO flyweight world champion was feverishly preparing for his IBF super flyweight eliminator with Z Gorres.

By Paul Upham: When Nonito Donaire defeated defending world champion Vic Darchinyan by 5th round stoppage at the Harbour Yard Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut on July 7, it not only won him the IBF/IBO flyweight world titles, the brutal knockout has now also earned him SecondsOut’s 2007 Upset Of The Year award.

By Paul Upham: Boxing has always been a reliable parade ground for the stirring comeback. It is one of the more appealing aspects of the sport. The beaten warrior returning to the ring and overcoming the odds to find sweet victory after having tasted the bitterness of defeat.

By Clive Bernath: Whilst I was obviously delighted to see Ricky Hatton and father and son team Joe and Enzo Calzaghe, honoured at the BBC Sports Personality Awards last weekend I could not help but have a little chuckle to myself at the Irony of it.

By Paul Upham in Leumeah: Daniel Geale overcame a bad cut on his left eye to win the vacant IBO middleweight boxing world title with a unanimous twelve round points decision over Daniel Dawson on Friday night at the Wests Club in Leumeah, Sydney, Australia. It was a thrilling battle between two undefeated fighters but no matter how hard Dawson worked, Geale found a way to land the better punches.

By Paul Upham: Craig Christian called the Grange Old School Boxing’s Garrie Francisco on Monday with the bad news. “I hate to tell you this,” said Daniel Dawson’s trainer/manager. “But, you won’t believe it.” “I don’t,” replied Francisco, on the verge of a cardiac arrest. “Just kidding,” laughed Christian.

By Paul Upham: Japan’s Yoshinori Nishizawa and Bolivia’s Sonni Michael Angelo fought a frustrating 3rd round technical draw after a serious cut at the Wyong Leagues Club in New South Wales, Australia, headlining an Angelo Hyder ‘Nitro’ promotion. 41 year-old Nishizawa sustained a deep cut to the left hand side of his head after a head clash.

By Paul Upham: While it was only a small CD player remote control, it made a loud noise when it crashed onto the old wooden floorboards at Danny Green’s training camp in Newtown. Ukraine sparring partner Alexander Gurov made the mistake of accidentally kicking Green’s sound blaster changer off the side of the boxing ring before their six round sparring session on Tuesday.

By Paul Upham: While light heavyweight boxer Danny Green and promoter Angelo Hyder are putting together a proposal to match heavyweight footy stars Willie Mason from the NRL and Barry Hall from the AFL, Hall told the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday that he is not interested and is contracted to the Sydney Swans.

Comment By Paul Upham: Joe Calzaghe is now the undisputed super middleweight boxing champion of the world. Regardless of whether he ever tastes defeat as a professional boxer, it is the high point of his fourteen-year unbeaten career and an achievement that can never be taken away from him.

By Paul Upham: When Danny Green’s fans awoke in Perth on Monday morning, they would have been looking forward to their favourite boxer fighting for a world title in 2007. For the last few weeks it had appeared that Green would be facing IBO world title-holder and ‘Rocky Balboa’ movie star Antonio Tarver in the USA on December 1. A stunning announcement later in the day confirmed that Green would be fighting for world title glory, but not against Tarver.

By Paul Upham: Back in the winner’s circle and with the IBO junior bantamweight world title around his waist, former flyweight world champion Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan doesn’t want to waste any time getting back into the ring again. After his 12th round TKO win over Federico Catubay on Saturday night in Sydney, the 31 year-old is targeting a number of boxers and wants to fight again on December 1.

By Paul Upham: Two-time flyweight world champion Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan looks to rebound from his shock knockout loss to Nonito Donaire when he moves up in weight and faces Federico Catubay for the vacant IBO junior bantamweight boxing world title on Saturday night at the Auburn RSL in Sydney, Australia.

A new book about Kostya Tszyu written by SecondsOut’s Paul Upham went on sale on Friday October 5. The 274 page biography titled “Something Worth Fighting For” and published by ABC Books records the last two years of the former undisputed world champion’s life inside and outside the ring, beginning with his June 2005 fight with Ricky Hatton.

By Paul Upham: If you are a fan of Marco Antonio Barrera and want to see him live in one more superfight, you will have to get along to the Mandalay Bay Events Centre in Las Vegas on October 6 for his rematch with Manny Pacquiao. The 33 year-old Mexican great confirmed on Tuesday that this will be the last big fight of his career.

By Paul Upham: Green Machine Promotions, the company of light heavyweight contender Danny Green, announced on Friday that the Australian will challenge IBO light heavyweight world champion Antonio Tarver on December 1 at Madison Square Garden in New York, USA on Showtime Championship Boxing.

By Paul Upham: Former IBF/IBO flyweight world champion Vic Darchinyan is not wasting any time getting his career back on track after his shock knockout loss to Nonito Donaire on July 7. The 31 year-old Armenian born Australian citizen will face Federico Catubay for the vacant IBO junior bantamweight world title on October 20 in Sydney at the Auburn RSL.

By Paul Upham: While he is still relatively young for a world class boxer at only 29 years of age, ‘Ferocious’ Fernando Vargas reiterated on Wednesday that his upcoming fight with Ricardo Mayorga at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, USA on September 8 on Showtime Pay-Per-View, will be his last.

By Paul Upham: WBA featherweight boxing world champion Chris John continued his unbeaten run on Sunday, registering his 40th career win over Zaiki Takemoto in Kobe, Japan. 27 year-old John from Indonesia dropped the challenger to the canvas in rounds 6 and 8, finally forcing him to retire in his corner after round 9.

By Paul Upham: Australia’s “Lionheart” Nader Hamdan continues to trek the globe searching for a path back to a world title fight when he faces Denmark’s Mads Larsen over eight rounds on Saturday night at the Max Schmeling Halle in Berlin, Germany.

Comment by Paul Upham: Have you noticed the difference? Looking at it piece by piece, it is easy to overlook, but when putting the puzzle all together, it is now obvious that a fresh new change for the good has swept through boxing in 2007. While critics were pre-empting the end of boxing as a sport of any significance at the beginning of the year in the face of the challenge from mixed martial arts (MMA), boxing has responded.

By Paul Upham: Sydney brothers Hussein Hussein and Nedal Hussein are working their way towards what they hope will be twin world title shots when they headline a card promoted by their brother Billy Hussein on Friday night at Club Marconi in Bossley Park, Australia.

By Paul Upham: After two back to back stoppage losses to Manny Pacquiao in 2006, many people suspected that Erik Morales, a future Hall of Famer, would retire. But the three-division world champion went away, recovered from his battering and spent time with his family. His boxing future was never discussed because he knew it was not yet time to retire.

By Paul Upham: Australian Michael “The Great” Katsidis defended his WBO interim lightweight world title with a unanimous twelve round points decision over Czar Amonsot on the Bernard-Hopkins-Winky Wright card on Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events in Las Vegas, USA.

By Paul Upham: Bernard Hopkins is 42 years old and is still one of the best boxers in the world today. Until we can review his performance against Winky Wright on Saturday night in Las Vegas, that is where his reputation stands. His win over world champion Antonio Tarver thirteen months ago was amazing. People forget how big an underdog he was at the time, the old, old middleweight boxing world champion coming back for one final hurrah.

By Paul Upham: You can be sure that you have arrived at the new training base of Australian light heavyweight Danny Green by the loud explosion from under the boxing ring that echoes around the old woolshed in the back streets of Newtown. A notorious practical joker, Green’s firecracker greeting sent three visiting children of a close friend jumping into the air.

By Paul Upham: Roy Jones Jr keeps telling everyone, ‘Y’all must have forgot’ the many highlights of his stellar career, but it is what the fans can remember about his brilliant pound for pound best in boxing days that tell us he is greatest performances are behind him. On Saturday night in Biloxi, Mississippi, USA, Jones won a unanimous points decision over previously undefeated Anthony Hanshaw.

By Paul Upham: Roy Jones Jr has to deal with the undefeated Anthony Hanshaw first on July 14, but the former pound for pound best in boxing leader says he is ready to take on a come-backing Felix “Tito” Trinidad, if the Puerto Rican great is serious about a return.

By Paul Upham: Almost one year ago welterweight Arturo Gatti was beaten down and stopped over nine rounds by Argentine Carlos Baldomir. To many people it may have seemed at the time that this was the end for one of boxing’s most well loved warriors. But just as he has come back from adversity so many times before inside the ring during a fight, 35 year-old Gatti isn’t hanging his gloves up just yet. In fact, he says he never even considered it.

By Paul Upham: WBA welterweight boxing world champion Miguel Cotto retained his title with an 11th round TKO win over Zab Judah on Saturday night at a sold out Madison Square Garden in New York, USA on HBO Pay-Per-View. 26 year-old Cotto had to overcome a bloody cut to his lower lip, a cut on his right eyebrow and some vicious Judah left uppercuts to win.

By Paul Upham: American promoter Gary Shaw has challenged WBC flyweight world champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam to stand by comments he made in a Thailand newspaper over the weekend about his desire to fight undefeated IBF/IBO flyweight world champion Vic Darchinyan.

By Paul Upham: IBF junior welterweight world champion Lovemore Ndou served up one of his brightest smiles whilst reading challenger Paulie Malignaggi’s comments about him at SecondsOut.com on Thursday. “The kid can talk,” he laughed.

By Paul Upham: Brooklyn junior lightweight Paulie Malignaggi has promised to shut IBF world champion Lovemore Ndou’s mouth when they meet on June 16 at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, USA on HBO’s ‘Boxing After Dark’. The 26 year-old is not impressed with what Ndou has said about him from his home in Australia on the other side of the planet.

By Paul Upham: Sickness has forced Puerto Rican Manny Siaca to pull out of his May 30 match with Australia’s Danny Green on in Perth. Manny Siaca Sr informed Green Machine Promotions on Wednesday night that his son had a “chronic stomach ailment” which would prevent him from training for four weeks.

By Paul Upham: Light heavyweight world champion Bernard Hopkins will return to the ring at the age of 42 when he faces Ronald ‘Winky’ Wright on July 21 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, USA on HBO Pay-Per-View. While we will be seeing two boxers currently in most people’s pound for pound top ten, for Hopkins to come back again, there is a sense that it could have been for so much more.

By Paul Upham: Australian former super middleweight title-holder Danny Green faces Puerto Rican Manny Siaca in Perth on May 30 in an attempt to confirm himself as a genuine light heavyweight world title contender. The 34 year-old has had two knockout wins at 175lbs since his loss to arch rival Anthony Mundine one year ago. The “Green Machine” wants to beat the man who beat “The Man” three years ago to win the WBA super middleweight world title.